PARIS — Swiss fragrance and flavors supplier Firmenich’s sales rose 13.5 percent, to 2.3 billion Swiss francs, or $1.82 billion at average exchange, for the fiscal year ended in June.
In its annual report, the privately held company said its fragrance division “posted dynamic sales growth” and its home care and body care businesses had double-digit increases. “Fine fragrance sales continued to rise, in a market that either stagnated or declined,” the Geneva firm said in the report.
By region, sales growth was strongest in North America and in emerging markets, including Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Latin America and Western Europe posted positive but slower growth on the back of very strong performances last year, the firm said.
In its past fiscal year, Firmenich added five fragrance molecules to its portfolio. The company said its natural ingredients unit has used advanced technology to explore nature in a sustainable way and has developed a new methodology to measure how well fragrances diffuse.
Firmenich also said that Pierre-Yves Firmenich had retired from the board of Firmenich International SA. The group’s chief executive officer from 1989 until 2002 had spent 36 years with the company.
Heinz Imhof, who joined the board in February 2003, has also stepped down, for personal reasons.
“Firmenich regrets his premature departure and will miss the precious experience he brought of international business and business strategy,” the company said in a statement.
Last week, Yves Boisdron and Vernon Sankey were appointed to the board. Boisdron, 62, is a French engineer who has spent the last 25 years with specialty chemicals group Rhodia. Sankey, 57, is a British national who spent most of his career at Reckitt & Colman until its merger with Benckiser in 1999.